They say all politics is local, but what happens when it also becomes familial?

If you follow local politics, by now you've probably heard about the heat that Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley took for bucking the Queens County Democratic Party's wishes and running in the 6th Congressional District Primary against party-backed candidate Grace Meng.

A Democrat choosing to run against the party-backed candidate is nothing new, even with the power that the party wields in the smoky backrooms of Queens. Heck, in the same primary Democrat Rory Lancman did the same thing as Crowley, but was far less criticized for it.

Crowley's decision was much more scrutinized becuase her cousin, Congressman Joseph Crowley, is the head of the Queens County organization. What does that say about the validity of your candidacy if your own cousin won't even support you?

But that little familial pickle is nothing compared to the difficult position the councilwoman now finds herself in.

At last week's Queens Community Board 5 meeting, the board discussed a Department of Transportation proposal to change a local street into a one-way as part of a traffic-calming measure. Now, if you've ever been a part of a debate on changing traffic patterns in a neighborhood, you know that everyone has their own opinion,.

This proposal is no different.

However, it just so happens that some members of Crowley's large family – she is the youngest of 14 siblings – live in the area and would be affected by the change. And it just so happens that one of Crowley's sisters supports the change, and another sister is against it.

What to do, what to do?

Stuck in the middle, Crowley suggested putting in a speed bump o the street, which would slow traffic, which one sister wants, without diverting traffic to other neighborhood streets, which is what the other sister is worried about. Now, that's some wily political maneuvering!